This training will explore the significance of healthy attachment relationships in promoting social-emotional development, cognitive growth, and overall well-being in young children. Participants will examine various factors that influence the development of secure attachments, including caregiver sensitivity and responsiveness, and the impact of early experiences. Additionally, presenters will provide practical strategies and techniques to foster secure attachment relationships and create attachment-promoting environments in early childhood settings, such as childcare centers, preschools, and homes, to support children's emotional security and social interactions with peers and caregivers. Participants will learn about strategies to effectively communicate and collaborate with families recognizing the crucial role of parents and caregivers in supporting healthy attachment relationships. Lastly, this training will allow participants to practice self-reflection as a tool to positively impact and maintain their emotional well-being while nurturing secure attachments with children.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Following this training, participants will:
- Understand the importance of attachment in early childhood development
- Identify factors influencing attachment formation
- Enhance caregiver-child interactions
- Promote healthy attachment in early childhood education settings
OUR PRESENTER(S):
Asata Virgo, MAS-IFP, IMH-E® is an Early Childhood Education and Development Professional and Mental Health Specialist. Asata carries an Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Based Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health® and is also a certified Infant-Toddler Family Specialist. Throughout her career, she has worked with children and families as an early childhood center educator, birth-to-five mental health clinician, family education facilitator, developmental specialist, and early childcare and education consultant and coach.
Passionate about promoting holistic healthy child development, Asata focuses on infant-toddler mental(early relational) health. Her work centers around nurturing and strengthening those vital connections between children and their caregivers. Asata is a North Carolina Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Association (NCIMHA) Advocate and Board Member. She is also a registered Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator and Circle of Security Classroom Approach Facilitator, Coach, and Coordinator.
Outside of her professional work, Asata finds joy in spending time with her loved ones, immersing herself in the wonders of nature and the arts, and actively participating in service learning and development projects within her community. Having resided in North Carolina for 4 years on the lands of the Indigenous Lumbee people, she is dedicated to cultivating personal, professional, and community well-being.
Gabriel Guyton, MA,MSEd,IMH-E® serves as the Vice President of Children and Family Services at Verner Early Learning in Asheville, North Carolina, a nonprofit agency providing early care and education to over 200 children – from birth to five years old. As an early childhood specialist, Gabriel has spent two decades working with children and families. Gabriel Guyton is a former teacher in Bank Street’s family Center which serves children from ages 6 months to 5 years old. She is also a former Bank StreetCollege of Education faculty member who taught in the Infancy program She earned her master’s degree in general and Special education from Bank Street College and also holds a master’s degree in psychology of counseling.
Gabriel is passionate about raising awareness of infant mental health and promoting policies supporting young children's and their families' well-being. Through educational workshops, training sessions, and collaborations with other professionals, Gabriel strives to create a nurturing and supportive community for infants and their caregivers.
